Deal with Burrard
could help ease
hockey squeeze

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

HOLD on to your hockey
sticks: it looks like there will
be enough ice to go around
by this time next year.

The North Vancouver Reere-
ation Commission (NVRC) have
almost complered a contract with
Takaya Developments, the develop-
ment arm of the Tsleil-Wauruth
(Burrard Band).

Under the terms of the contract,
the commission will purchase 2,000
hours: of ice time per year from
Takaya for the next five years or the
equivalent full-time use of one ice
arena.

Takaya Developments plans to
start clearing land south of
Seymour Parkway and just east of
Apex Avenue for a $6-million two-
rink complex next month. The ice
rinks are slated to be completed for
use by August.

TSLE!i-Waututh (Burrard Band) Chief Leonard Geo
two-rink complex set for development on reserve

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

rge shows an artist's conception of the $6-million
land. Most band members support the project.

the recreation commission and
Yakaya Developments.

George said one nanse proposed
for the ice rink comple is the Chief
Dan George Recreation Centre.
Chief Dan George was Chief
Leonard George’s father, who
starred in the Hollywood movie
Little Big Man. His movie work was
credited in helping redefine native
people beyond shallow stereotypes
I ies and in popular culture.

Chief Leonard George said
Takaya Developments is considering
holding a contest for children to
name the new centre, which will also
contain a gym for band members, aa
exercise room anda sports bar,

George said the ice rinks will
become profitable after 10. years.
He said that in the short term, the
project will provide all levels of
employment for band members —
from Zamboni driving to manage-
ment of a recreational ice rink.

“We are going to receive some-
thing back built on our land on a
monthly basis rather than a lump sum
after a 99-year lease,” said George.

George said that all band devel-
opments, including the ice rinks,
will go through North Vancouver
District hall and be built to district
standards.

“Having a facility in our neighborhood
where our children can get together to do
something healthy is a good way for our com-

- munities to come together, native and non-
native,” said Chief Leonard George.

According to a March 1995 News story,

“the. ice rinks were originally slated to be
opened this month.

George said the project’s financing was

. tied. to large developments on the band’s

land. He said obtaining road access to the
developments and getting bureaucratic per-
mission from the federal Indian Affairs
department took:a lot of time.

The new ice rinks will be built south of the
Takaya Golf Driving Range. Residents of the
Seymour area in eastern North Vancouver
District will benefit the most. There is cur-
rently no ice rink in the area.

“in our collective thinking, we should

North Vancouver

then have enough ice to meet the needs,”
said NVRC director Gary Young.

Young said the district is getting the
equivalent of an arena without the capital
costs.

George said the cost of the ice time nego-
tiated is between $250 an hour to 3280 an
hour — the current going rate.

He said the contract is for five years, but a
20-year commitment was negotiated between

He said band members voted more than
80% in favor of building the ice rinks. The
project includes the option of building a third
adjoining ice rink in the future.

Takaya’s partners in the ice rink project are
Native Strategic Investments and ‘Abbey
Woods Developments. ‘

As of August, North Vancouver had the
names of 500 children on hockey waiting

Starbucks stores
reject union bid

By Robert Galster
Contributing Writer

EMPLOYEES of the Deep
“Cove Starbucks store seem
‘te be involved more in a
1 Jabor of love than a love of
Nabor,

Last Friday, at a B.C. Labor

_ Relations Board hearing, three out of

‘five Starbucks outlets before the

board were certified. The Deep Cove
location was not one of them. ~

Twenty-year-old Graham
MacKenzie, who has been working
at the Deep Cove Starbucks for 24
years, said thar while most of the
store’s 11 employees were initially in
favor of signing union membership
cards with the Canadian Auto
Workers (CAW), over time many had

‘changed their minds.

“A lot of group discussion, get-

“ting things our in the open within

the store and it was a really democra-
tic process,” said MacKenzie. “We
didn’t take a vote on it, we simply

‘decided that there was a- miajenity

against.”

“As of last. Friday, the three

Starbucks oudets that have certified

are the Howe and Helmeken, Royal
~ Centre and. Hornby Street locations,

making it the first of Starbucks’ 961
stores to be unionized.

* John Bowman, CAW’s national
“representative in B.C, and Alberta,
said last Friday’s hearing illustrated
the uniqueness of the Deep Cove
store.

“Ie was quite unusual in Deep
Cove ... J think the whole work force
there lives at home, unlike the other
stores,” said Bowman, “Parents got
involved and got bent out of shape.”

“According! to Bowman, the next ,:
: t . ‘ ve

step for the newly certified outlets

will be the formation of a negotiating |

committee. He said face-to-face
negotiations with management for a
first contract are likely to begin with-
in a month. '

The main concessions likely to be
sought by the union include:

@ an increase in pay, recognition of
employee seniority;

@ a grievance procedure,

the establishment, of a health and
safety procedure and program

B the inclusion of present benefits in
a collective bargaining agreement.

Starbucks employees are currently
paid an average of $8.40 per hour in
addition to a comprehensive benefits
package for full- and part-time
employees which includes dental and
medical coverage. Company stock
options are also available to the
employees in addition to the weekly
allotment of a free pound of coffee.

Meanwhile, the Deep Cove store
will maintain the status quo.

On Tuesday, two more Starbucks
locations, including North
Vancouver’s Esplanade store, were
undergoing a Labor Relations
Board-CAW hearing. Following in
the footsteps of the Deep Cove out-
fet, the Esplanade store also with-
drew its certification application.
‘Tuesday's other applicant, located on
the north east corner of Robson and
Thurlow Streets, went through with
its application, bringing the toral of
Starbucks locations unionizing, to
four.

Union certification automatically
takes place if 55% of a. stores’
employees sign union membership
cards.

The NDP's 1992. Bill 84 labor
code removed secret ballot voting in
union certification drives.

THREE vehicles, one of which was towing a Por
block of Dollarton. A van towing the Porsche co!

Transport LPG with barge

From page

doesi’t take much to blow one of
these up,” said Benson.

The trains bearing LPG onginate
in Taylor, B.C., and wind their way
south. Upon exiting the rail ninnel
bypassing Horseshoe Bay, the trains
make their way through West and
North Vancouver,

Nebbeling says the current prac-
tice of the trains passing through the
North Shore en route to mostly
U.S. destinations can be made a lot
safer by changing the cargo’s route
and mode of transport.

He says the infrastructure to wans-
port the trains via barge from

Squamish to ‘Tilbury Island on the
Fraser River is already in place, mak-
ing it a rather cheap alternative.

“There’s a situation there that's
pretty safe, but it could be safer,” said
Nebbeling.

Both Nebbeling and Benson say
the lack of community awareness of the
issue is holding the government back
from taking any action on the matter.

“Most people [ve talked to said,
‘Holy Mackerel,’ most people don’t
know what the stuff is,” said
Benson, “Once | teil them about
this the general reaction is shock.

“With this lack of action if the
public knew abour it they (govern-
ment) might do something.”

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

Race car wreck |

sche race car, collided on Monday near the 2400-
llided with a car turning left. A third car was hit.

Business...
Crossword..........

& Insighis

BR Ma iIDOK a nenecssseneen
@ North Shore Alert............5
& Sports...

83 Table Hopping.

BTV Listings... nein B2